Sphaeranthus senegalensis Dc.

Annual herb, 0.1–1 m tall, usually well-branched, erect or decumbent; branches winged, densely puberulous to pubescent (tomentose in West Africa), the wings spinulose-dentate, puberulous and glandular.. Leaves membranous, lanceolate, 1–10 cm long, 0.5–3.5 cm wide, base cuneate and decurrent into the wings, margins spinulose-dentate, apex acute with a spinulose tip, pubescent to puberulous (shortly lanate in West Africa), glandular.. Glomerules purple, globose (rarely double) to slightly ovoid, 6–13 mm in diameter (and up to 14 or rarely 18 mm long when ovoid); peduncle 0.5–6 cm long, winged or not winged, puberulous (to tomentose in West Africa); receptacle globose or ovoid; glomerule bracts hidden by the capitula, ovate to linear, 2–4 mm long, spinulose-acute, scarious, puberulous and glandular, ciliate; capitula sessile, with 7–14 bracts, these linear to narrowly elliptic, 2–3.5 mm long, scarious, acute, pectinate-ciliate.. Florets: outer florets 4–12, tube narrowing rapidly and then filiform, 1–1.4 mm long, lobes < 0.1 mm long, style 1.3–1.7 mm long; inner florets 1–3, tube with a wide corky base narrowing rapidly in its distal half, 1.4–2 mm long, glandular proximally, lobes 0.3–0.5 mm long and glandular, anthers 1–1.2 mm long, style 2.1–3 mm long, shortly bifid.. Achenes of outer florets ellipsoid, 0.6–0.7 mm long, puberulous, of inner florets empty, obconical, ± 1 mm long, glabrous.